Bloodline
by Num9
Summary: The Bloodlines of all clans are jealously guarded with the threat of death. Now one man seeks to unlock the secrets of the dying Bloodline, the Sharingan. However, Konoha itself stands in his way. Will he finish in time or be executed for treason?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fan fiction. Normally I wouldn't write a fan fiction, I just read them. I had this sitting in my Documents folder for quite a while so I reviewed it and had a couple of my friends go over it. So enjoy! Oh and after reading, you'll find some answers and some questions on the bottom. **

**Oh and just to answer anyone who has a pairing fetish and won't read a story without a pairing or won't read a story with a particular pairing, this is leaning toward my OCxOC and NaruxSaku. But no lemons, I hate lemons. They're so sour. Okay well...maybe one lemon near the end...I'll have to see how much money someone will bribe me with. **

**And Naruto and Sakura and blah blah blah, Konoha, all belong to You-Know-Who. We all know who it is...And no...it's not Santa Claus.**

* * *

Prologue

7 years ago from the 2nd Sasuke Retrieval Mission…

Konoha Hospital – 3:12 AM

The early hours of the day are the quietest of times for Konoha Hospital. Only a few nurses are up, checking to make sure overnight patients are sound asleep. None of the nurses patrol the basement though and why should they? All that's in the basement are medical supplies and cadavers.

"Is it ready?"

"Almost, I have to hit the vein."

"How hard is it to stick a needle in a dead body?"

Two men worked in the darkness beside a cadaver, one in a Chuunin uniform and the other in a medical orderly's scrubs. The dead body lay on a metal table, rolled out of a compartment in the wall with similar compartments arrayed beside it. The two couldn't use any lights in fear of someone noticing. The orderly gently stabbed a needle, with a tube attached to it, into the cadaver, piercing a blood vessel.

"There! I got it! Start the machine!" The orderly whispered.

The Chuunin flicked a switch on a small apparatus set on the floor beside the body. A small whir sounded and the tube quickly filled with blood as they desanguinated the body. An indicator on the side of the machine allowed the two men to measure how much blood they were taking out. Only a dozen nerve wracking minutes passed before the machine turned off with a click. The Chuunin let out a sigh of relief as he bent down to examine the indicator.

"Good, we got as much as he expected, 5.5 liters." He said.

The orderly bent down and removed the container of blood from the machine. He replaced it with another container filled with blood.

"Alright, start it up again. This time we gotta fill him with this blood."

"Why?" The Chuunin asked.

The orderly looked at the Chuunin with disdain. "The body still needs to be prepared for burial. The coroner will have the body down here and if he examines it again, he'll see that the blood is gone. It'll look suspicious."

The other nodded in agreement and started the machine again. The whir filled in the silence again as it pushed blood from the container, through the tube, and into the body. Another dozen minutes passed and the machine turned off. The orderly quickly pulled out the needle and packed the machine, the containers, and the tubing into a bag.

He handed the bag to the Chuunin. "Take this to him, mission accomplished."

The Chuunin nodded. "Let's get out of here fast. We're risking witnesses from happening."

The Chuunin and the orderly quickly walked out of the hospital morgue, through the main floor, and out the front doors. The Chuunin turned toward the orderly as they walked out the front.

"One more thing." He said.

"Yes?"

The Chuunin pulled out a syringe and quickly jabbed it into the orderly's arm. The orderly was too shocked to react and the syringe's contents emptied into the orderly's vein.

"W-what?!"

The Chuunin narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Don't worry. This won't kill you. You just won't remember what happened in the past few days."

The orderly dropped to his knees as the Chuunin pulled out the syringe. He already felt the world spinning around him.

"Why?" he gasped.

"Because this wasn't exactly a mission for the Sandaime Hokage. Don't worry; I'll make sure the benefactor of this blood will know of your effort in this."

The Chuunin quickly walked away as the orderly collapsed into unconsciousness and pocketed the syringe. He knew his leader would be enormously happy with the blood. Although the leader would regret that they couldn't get more or even the survivor's blood. But the hospital doctors would notice if more than 5 liters of blood was missing from their supplies.

It would have to do. Uchiha Fugaku's blood would have to do.

* * *

**So, how was it? One thing I avoided using was Japanese like 'hai' for yes and -san and -chan for names. Although if many of you find it annoying for me to not put those in to add more of the Japanese anime flavor, I'll start doing that. Review as much as you can, the more you review, the more I can do to make my story better. Oh and complain...I like complaining...And you can do requests but I probably won't use them since it's my story. But go ahead, if it's a good request, I might use it. But no yaoi...yaoi is like vegetables to me, they're icky. **

**To answer some questions that might be asked: 7 years before the 2nd Sasuke retrieval mission, Sasuke was 7-8 years old, right around when the Uchiha Massacre occurred. Uchiha Fugaku is Itachi's and Sasuke's father. And yes, when it says 'survivor' it is referring to Sasuke. And no, I don't know what was in the syringe that knocked out the orderly. Maybe a knuckle sandwich...And yes, there really are 5 liters of blood in a human body. Go bleed yourself into a 5 liter bucket and discover the amazing-ness of the human body. Or just Wikipedia it. And yes...there is a story, not just this prologue. This is just to get you guys interested. If you have any questions that I didn't answer, go ahead and ask them. **

**Thanks for reading...really...I'm not being sarcastic here. **


	2. Chapter 2

**This is to add more to the story since you won't get much of the plot from the prologue. **

**And I'm not gonna add that this belongs to Kishimoto every chapter. We all know that. **

* * *

Chapter 1

Present Day…

Konoha Village Gate – Midday

Izumo stretched and yawned. He and Kotetsu always seemed to watch the gate these days. It was easy work; easy but boring. All they seemed to do was watch visitors and other ninja walk through the gates.

Kotetsu sighed helplessly. "You shouldn't take this job so casually, you know?"

"C'mon, nothing is going to happen." Izumo grumbled.

"But what if something does? You never know." Kotetsu gestured at a pair with hooded cloaks that just walked through, "One of them could be – "

Izumo waved a careless hand at his friend. "Relax. Anyway, if you're always on edge like that, you're only asking for something to happen."

As the two settled back, one of the pair turned to the other and spoke with the undeniable low pitch of a male.

"They haven't changed much. They always were laid back in the Academy."

The other replied, this one higher pitched but low so no one would overhear; female. "Who?"

"Izumo and Kotetsu. I think I mentioned them to you before, haven't I?"

Beneath the hood, the female gave a small nod. "Yes, you have. I believe you refer to them as, 'those lazy bums'?"

The pair turned a corner and out of sight of the gate post. The male pulled off his hood and gave a small smile at his partner. The sunlight reflected off his Konoha headband.

"Do I? Well I think the truth speaks for itself anyway."

The two continued to walk between the rows of buildings that made up Konoha Village. The male glanced around, interested in everything. He had not been in the Village for five years. He stopped in front of a corner bookstore and peeked in. The glass reflected him, his short black hair, mask, and brown eyes.

The female stopped and looked at him. "Makoto?"

He turned from the window and looked at her. "It's nothing. I actually thought he'd be here but I guess this isn't going to be that easy."

"He frequents bookstores? You didn't tell me that. It would narrow our search area." She replied.

Her partner waved it away. "We'd be more likely to find him around the Hokage residence or somewhere else. Even if he was in the bookstore, we couldn't take him quietly like I want to."

She nodded and the two continued walking. The man glanced at her as they continued their slow pace.

"And don't call me by my name. If someone heard, we'd be compromised."

She stopped and turned towards him. Reaching up, she pulled back her hood. The sunlight reflected off her long black hair, green eyes, and a small apologetic smile.

"Sorry…'Ko."

* * *

Konoha Village Gate – Early Afternoon

Naruto stretched and yawned. The walk back from the mission was boring, not to mention that the mission was boring too. All he, Sakura, and Sai did was escort some important messenger to another village. All the way back, none of them had spoken a word. Not even Yamato, who was captain of the team while Kakashi was still in bed, had said anything to them. Naruto was sure it was all Sai. Even though he had turned out good after the Sasuke mission, he still didn't know how to act around other people. Sai caused a silence barrier between them all.

Naruto sighed. _At least he's not insulting us anymore_, he thought.

Meanwhile, Sakura was immersed in her own thoughts. She still had to talk to Kakashi about Sasuke but she kept it to herself for the while.

_No need to trouble Kakashi while he's still injured._

Sai continued to follow Sakura and Naruto as he considered what to do. The silence was uncomfortable for him.

_Should I say something? Maybe how well the mission went?_ _But would that be too obvious?_

As they passed through the gate, Kotetsu waved at them. The four turned and walked up to the gate post.

"How was the mission?" Kotetsu asked, leaning back in his chair.

Naruto shrugged, Sakura gave a small smile, and Sai just stared. Yamato sighed at his squad's lack of response, they were usually energetic and in constant conflict.

"It wasn't anything special." Yamato replied.

"That bad eh?" Izumo put in, "Well could you guys do a favor for us?"

"What sort of favor?" Naruto asked.

Izumo handed him a clipboard. "First, we've got these to turn in. And since you're going to the Hokage to report, could you drop them off?"

Yamato took the clipboard from Naruto's hands and walked off. "I'll take it in. You three can go home now. I'll report to the Hokage myself."

Kotetsu stopped the three before they could walk away. "Oh and one more thing. There were two that entered the village. Both of them hooded. If you run into them, could you find out their business?"

Naruto sighed and Sakura frowned. Sai just stared.

"You didn't check them yourself?" Sakura asked.

Izumo shrugged as he propped his feet up on the gate post's desk. "Don't mind him. He's just on edge."

Kotetsu sighed at Izumo. "Anyway, if they're just visiting on business then no need to bother them."

The three of them nodded and continued down the road. The sun was still high and life in Konoha bustled about, buying produce and other goods. The yells, smells, and the people all showed how prosperous Konoha had grown. As they turned the first corner, Naruto stopped in his tracks. The flow of people moved around the group as Sakura and Sai turned back towards Naruto.

"Huh? Naruto, is something wrong?" Sakura asked.

_He's probably just hungry._ Sai idly thought. Naruto had been that for much of the duration of the mission.

Naruto lifted an arm and pointed down the road. "Those two are wearing cloaks. Think it's them?"

Sakura and Sai turned and looked where Naruto was pointing. At the end of the road, two adults; a female and male; were conversing with each other.

"Um…they must be. I've never seen them before." Sakura muttered.

The three of them jogged down the sidewalk to the couple. Noticing them, the man turned towards them and smiled behind his mask.

"Is there some sort of problem, miss?" he said, addressing Sakura.

Sakura shook her head. "No, sir. We're just from the gate and it seems you forgot to check in. We just need to know your business in Konoha."

The woman turned towards the three, giving a small smile. "We're just here on some personal business; to visit a friend actually."

"Who's your friend?" Naruto piped in.

The woman gave a small glance at the man, as if needing confirmation before answering.

"He's an old friend. His name is Hatake Kakashi."

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**Sooooooo? How was it? Review, request, and complain. The triumverate of fan fiction. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey-o. Releasing a new chapter. Actually, I'm like 5 chapters ahead of whatever I release but I like going over the story with some of my "editors" first and see if the story makes sense and check for grammar. So don't expect a new chapter for a couple days, I still need my "editors" to look it over. **

* * *

Chapter 2

"Kakashi? He actually has friends?" Naruto replied, "Ow!"

Sakura punched him on the head and smiled apologetically at the two.

"I'm sorry. He really doesn't know any manners. But if you're looking to see Kakashi, you can come with us. We were on our way to visit him."

The man smiled and shook his head.

"Sorry but we're on our way to check in at an inn first. But if you could tell us where he is, we'll visit him on our own time."

Sakura frowned, a bit put off but responded. "He's in the Konoha Hospital. The second floor recovery room."

"Hospital?" the man asked, his brows furrowed with worry, "He's injured?"

Sakura shook her head as Naruto stood up.

"No. Kakashi's just worn out from a mission. He'll be up and about in no time."

"Are you two ninja?" Naruto blurted out, "Ach!"

Sakura punched him again, this time in the stomach. "You twit! Stop pestering them!"

The man gave a small chuckle. "Not exactly. I just used to be a ninja."

Sai scrutinized the man's headband and then stepped forward. "You're a Konoha ninja. Retired?"

The woman nodded. "Mm. He left the ninja life to live a normal one. With me incidentally." She smiled.

Sakura smiled at them and bowed. "Well I'm sorry we took so much of your time. Thank you for answering our questions."

The man and woman nodded and turned away.

"You forgot one thing."

Sai stepped forward once more.

"Your names?"

The woman turned back and glanced at her partner once more.

"I'm Yasuko Hitomi. This is my husband, Shimizu Ko."

Sai nodded, satisfied, and bowed.

As the two walked away, Naruto stood up once again.

"What was that all about?" Naruto groaned, rubbing his stomach.

"You kept bothering them!" Sakura snapped.

Naruto flinched away. "Not you! Sai!"

Sai turned towards Naruto and paused before answering.

"It's nothing. I just wanted to know more about them."

_Why does he wear a mask like Kakashi?_ Sai wondered.

* * *

Konoha Village – Late Afternoon 

Motoko settled onto the bed in the apartment they rented out. It sank under him as he settled his weight.

"It'll do for now but we'll need to sterilize it before we leave the village. Otherwise we'll leave a scent for ANBU to use."

Hitomi nodded and sat down next to him.

"All we need to do now is get to him." She thought out loud.

Motoko nodded and stood up. He walked up to the window and looked out. The setting sun cast out red rays of light, making the entire village glow crimson. The Hokage faces carved into the mountain had fire for hair and ruddy faces.

"You gave them our names." He said, his back to Hitomi.

She looked up at the back of his head.

"Sorry but if I had lied, the quiet one might have noticed. He was more alert than the other two." She apologized, "and besides. I'm not from the village so they won't have records on me and I didn't give them your full name."

Motoko nodded, still facing the window. Her logic was flawless.

"It doesn't matter much. Even if they looked through the old records, they still won't know where we'll be after we leave." He replied.

Hitomi stood up and placed her cloak on the second bed. She was attired in a dark blue bodysuit and a dark green vest, Chuunin clothes. She pulled her pack off her back and rifled through it. Pulling out a wallet, she started out the door.

"I'll be back soon. We'll need some supplies for the night."

Motoko turned around and looked at her.

"Get some for tomorrow too. We'll see him tomorrow night. Can't do a mission on an empty stomach." He quipped.

Hitomi nodded and walked out. Motoko turned back towards the window and thought back as to why they needed Kakashi. They needed to see him; he was the only hope for Motoko and Konoha.

* * *

_1 year ago…_

"_Damn!"_

_Motoko slammed his fist on the table. The latest trials had turned sour after a week. He flung the report down onto the tabletop, scattering the papers. Hitomi stood to the side, her eyes filled with worry._

_"5 years…5 years and this is the furthest I've gotten." Motoko raged, "And now, we're short on material to continue!" _

_Motoko slammed his fists down onto the table once more and drew in a ragged breath. There was no way for him to get anymore materials, the source was all gone. All he had left was contained in the freezer. _

_Hitomi stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. _

_"I'll volunteer. It's necessary." She spoke softly._

_Motoko shook his head. _

_"No, it has to be pure or at least close."_

_Hitomi nodded and stepped to the side. _

"_Is there any other way?"_

_"No." He replied, "At least not without causing dilution to our current supply. And then it would cause a higher failure rate." _

_The current rate of failure was at 80. 98 if the partial successes were counted as failures. Motoko dropped into his chair and closed his eyes. He was so close. He already had one success; he just needed more to complete his experiments. But there was no one else who had what he needed. At least, not within his grasp. The survivor had disappeared, his spies told him, and the survivor's brother was gone as well. _

_Motoko looked at the papers scattered across his desk. His gaze scanned across the papers until they reached a framed picture. It was his ANBU initiation group picture. The people were all masked with white ceramic face masks, each one with unique symbols painted across them. He looked at himself in the picture. All he saw was his own mask, looking right back at him. And then he looked at the person next to him._

_'That's it.' He thought, 'we have another source!'_

_Motoko stood in a flash and looked at Hitomi, who was still standing to the side._

_"Tell Ryo that we're leaving on a mission. He's to keep everything stable until we get back." _

_Hitomi nodded and walked out of the office. Motoko looked back at the picture and the person standing next to him. Though the mask revealed nothing, it was the headband across the left eye that identified him. He had the Sharingan, Obito's Sharingan... _

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**_3...2...1...and Review! _**


	4. Chapter 4

**New chapter fresh from the "editors" room. Hope you guys enjoy reading. **

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Chapter 3

The next day…

Konoha Village – Midday

Naruto slurped his ramen, to which Sakura found annoying.

"Geez, Naruto. Chew your food once in a while. You'll end up choking." She scolded.

He finished his bowl before replying. "C'mon, I've always eaten ramen this way! No way am I going to choke anytime soon."

"Old man! One more bowl!" He called out.

Teuchi nodded and put a ready made bowl in front of Naruto. The smell of miso soup, pork, and noodles created a heavenly aroma for Naruto. He would usually eat three or four bowls before leaving. It took a lot for Sakura and Sai to drag Naruto away after two bowls.

Sai stared at his bowl for a while until a stray thought came across his mind.

"Do you think we should visit Kakashi?" he said.

Sakura looked at Sai, sitting on her other side. "What for?"

Sai twirled the noodles in his soup and shrugged. Sakura looked back at her own ramen, thinking it over.

'_If we see him, we'll have to tell him about Sasuke. And he still needs three more days of bed rest. He'll probably force himself out of bed.' _

Sakura smiled at Sai. "Hey, how about we go train instead? Kakashi probably doesn't want us bothering him anyway; he's still reading those books of his."

Naruto perked up at the word "training."

"Yeah! Let's go, Sakura!" He said, finishing his third bowl.

Naruto jumped off his seat and Sakura pushed her bowl away. Sakura turned back before leaving; Sai was still in his seat.

"Um…Sai? Aren't you coming?" She asked.

Sai shook his head, not bothering to turn around. "You two go ahead. I'd like to finish this bowl."

Sakura shrugged and walked out to a waiting Naruto.

'_Sai's been acting strange'. _She thought, '_I guess it's just the Sasuke thing.'_

Let's go!" Naruto yelled.

_'Maybe training with just Naruto isn't a good thing.'_ She sighed.

Sai continued to twirl the noodles in his bowl as Naruto and Sakura's shouts faded in the distance.

'_How do I act…like a friend?' _

* * *

Mokoto and Hitomi stood before Konoha's cenotaph, the Hero's Stone. On it is carved the names of ninja who died in battle sacrificing themselves for the village. On the third row from the bottom, Uchiha Obito was carved into the stone. Mokoto knew Obito in his childhood years. They had all been in the same class, him, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin. In the end, only he and Kakashi had lived on to become ANBU. He had specialized in the medical field while Kakashi joined the combat specialists. But he had always believed that is was Obito's sacrifice that allowed Kakashi to ascend the ranks of ninja. 

"You never told me much of your life here." Hitomi said softly, the wind blowing her hair across her face.

Mokoto continued to stare at the stone and replied.

"There's not much to tell. Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. My current mission is all that's important."

"Who was Obito?" she asked, pulling her cloak tighter around her against the wind.

As the wind blew leaves around him, memories of the academy flashed through his mind. The lessons, the training, Rin's kindness, Kakashi's determination, Obito's funeral; it all came back to him.

"A friend," He eventually replied, "When he died the only version I read of his death was the official report. Apparently Kakashi lost his eye and Obito was near death. Rin, the team's medical ninja, implanted Obito's eye into Kakashi, allowing him to finish off the rest of the enemy."

Hitomi frowned; she knew there were inconsistencies to the story.

"How could Kakashi use the Sharingan?" she asked, "He isn't descended from the Uchiha bloodline."

Mokoto shook his head at his own limited knowledge. "I can only guess what Rin did."

"Couldn't we ask her ourselves?"

Mokoto smiled at the thought of meeting Rin again. "No. To be honest, no one really knows where she is. She left the village a year after Obito's death. And Kakashi stopped talking to me or anyone after that."

"So what is your guess then?" Hitomi asked.

Mokoto gathered his medical knowledge before answering. "I could only guess that she infused Kakashi with some of Obito's blood. And by some chance of nature, the infusion of Kakashi's and Obito's blood replicated over time until it replaced all of Kakashi's original blood, thus allowing him to continue to use the Sharingan. Although, since it's not pure Uchiha blood, he can't turn it off at will like a pure Uchiha would do."

Hitomi nodded at the theory, it would fit.

"So what should we do until night?"

Mokoto looked away from the stone and towards the village. "Let's go mark our extraction points and get ready. We can stop for a meal on the way back as well."

"A meal?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

He shrugged. "I have a sudden urge to eat a bowl of ramen right now."

* * *

**Every time you read this story and don't review, God kills a kitten...Save the kittens. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, here's Chapter 4. Now that I'm past the 5,000 word mark, I'm hoping it'll expand the amount of readers this gets. I know some people don't search for stories unless they're above 10,000 words which I'm hoping to reach by next month.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Sai pushed his cold ramen away and turned around.

"Oh! Hello again."

Hitomi stood before him, smiling.

"Hello." Sai replied, his voice emotionless.

"Welcome! How can I help you?" Teuchi called out from behind the counter.

"Could I have two bowls of miso ramen to go?" She asked.

Teuchi nodded and set to work. Hitomi sat down beside Sai and looked at him.

"How are you? Where are your friends?"

Sai stared at the ground before answering. "They're off training."

Hitomi nodded, his lack of emotion causing her to lose a bit of her smile. Sai continued to stare at the ground, lost in thought, until Hitomi's voice penetrated his mind.

"Is something troubling you?" she asked.

He hesitated before responding, not sure how to start.

"Is it your friends?" she put in for him.

Sai nodded. "I don't know how to act in front of them."

Hitomi smiled a bit wider at that. "Well, whenever I see my friends, I smile to show that I'm happy to see them."

He nodded. "I know how to smile and when. It's just that I don't know how to go beyond that. And I'm afraid…"

"Afraid?"

"…Afraid of saying the wrong thing, something that will hurt them." He finished

Hitomi nodded, her face serious. "Well…I'm sure it will come to you soon. You can also talk to your friends, tell them how you feel. Your friends will help you, I'm sure of it."

Sai leaned his arms against his knees as he thought on that.

"Is there any other way?" he asked after a few moments.

She smiled at his effort to be a better friend. "Well, when I was in another village they had a library. In it, they had a section on how to be a better person. Maybe your village has books like that."

Sai sat up straight, the advice hitting him like lightning. He looked at her, her smile still showing.

"Uh…thank you. Thank you for the advice." He said, gratitude in his voice.

He stood, leaving until Hitomi's voice stopped him.

"I never did learn your name. Would you tell me?"

He turned around and bowed. "I'm Sai."

She bowed her head in return. "Good luck, Sai."

He nodded and left, heading for the Hokage compound in the distance.

"Miss? Your order is ready." Teuchi announced, placing a bag in front of her.

"Ah! Thank you!" Hitomi turned around, picking up the bag and paying.

* * *

Konoha Hospital – Late Evening

Giggles could be heard from the recovery room. The nurses avoided that room for as long as they could; they found it weird that its only occupant could giggle so much. That is, until they read the title of the books he was reading.

Kakashi chuckled, he always found a joke that he would finally understand after reading Icha-Icha Paradise again. Not to mention that it was his 75th time re-reading it. He sighed and put the book down on his nightstand.

"You two should come in now. No need to wait till midnight." He called out in the empty room.

The door to the recovery room slid open and two, a female and male, similarly dressed ninjas stepped in.

"How'd you sense us? We slowed our chakra flow to minimal levels." The man asked.

Kakashi tapped his nose. "You both smell of vinegar. And I don't even have a nin-dog's nose."

The man sighed and looked at the woman. "I told you we'd smell if we used it."

The woman nodded and continued to stare at Kakashi.

"Now…" Kakashi sat up straighter, "If you wouldn't mind introducing yourselves. You both have Konoha headbands but I've never seen you two around before."

The man nodded and gestured to the woman standing next to him. "This is Hitomi, my most trusted friend. And me?"

He de-masked himself and smiled. "I think you should remember."

"You're - !"

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.

"You! You're supposed to be dead!" He almost shouted.

Mokoto shook his head. He walked up to Kakashi's bed and sat down in the empty chair beside it, on Kakashi's left side.

"Disappointed that I'm not?" Mokoto asked.

Kakashi reigned in his initial shock and composed himself.

"Explain this." He said, his tone layered with anger.

Mokoto looked at his old friend with worry. "You're mad. I guess you've come to the conclusion yourself then."

Kakashi's hand tightened into a fist.

"You're either an imposter, bringing a memory back to haunt me or you're really him. If you are him, all circumstances that would make you hide yourself from your own village aren't exactly the actions of a loyal ninja."  
"On the contrary Kakashi," Mokoto replied evenly, "I am very loyal to Konoha. Otherwise I'd have cut my Leaf a long time ago."

Kakashi used his right hand to grab a kunai he'd hidden under his sheets. "So explain, why?"

Hitomi walked forward and around the other side of his bed.

"He's on a mission." She replied softly.

"Mission?"

Mokoto nodded. "The results of this mission could save Konoha from anymore destruction."

Kakashi stared hard at Mokoto, still not believing that his old friend was still alive.

"Destruction?"

Mokoto scratched his head. "I heard what happened; what Orochimaru did. It would never have happened if you guys had been caught off guard."

"And why are you revealing yourself to me now?" Kakashi asked.

"Because my mission is failing. I need you if it is to succeed."

Kakashi sighed and leaned back.

"Sorry then. I'm stuck in bed so I can't help you. But still, explain. The word mission doesn't explain."

Mokoto nodded. "I'll explain everything if you come with me."

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm stuck in bed. Hokage's orders."

Mokoto sighed. This wasn't going as well as planned.

"You were always a stickler for the rules…until Obito died. Then you were as wild as him."

"I didn't go wild. I just found my way to follow the rules and do the**right** thing." Kakashi replied, stressing the word 'right.'

Mokoto nodded. "I didn't mean any disrespect. Obito was my friend too. But still, I need you to come with me. My mission can't be put out into the open."

Kakashi stared at Mokoto. When he had heard that Mokoto was dead, he stayed in his room for three whole days without eating. All his friends, Obito, Rin, his teacher, and finally Mokoto were gone. He only had himself for comfort. That and Obito's grave.

"What is your mission?" Kakashi asked.

Mokoto paused before answering. "I said I'd explain if you – "

"No." Kakashi interrupted, "Now. You're my friend 'Ko but you spent six years in hiding, letting us believe you were dead. I'm glad you're alive, truly glad, but the circumstances of your death are too suspicious for me to pass over. Explain, or I'll be forced to report this to the Hokage."

Mokoto sighed. This was not going as planned at all.

"I'm sorry Kakashi, really I am. I didn't mean for it to go like this." He replied, the regret evident in his voice.

He snapped his fingers. Kakashi lifted his right arm, his kunai ready to block. And then he felt it, a prick. Kakashi looked to his right and found a syringe sticking in his arm. Hitomi looked at Kakashi with steely resolution but also pity.

"I'm sorry 'Ko couldn't convince you." She whispered, pushing the contents of the syringe into Kakashi's arm.

In a heartbeat, Kakashi's vision began to darken. His arm dropped and the syringe fell out of his arm, drops of blood spattering the pure white tiles of the floor. He tried to form seals but his whole body grew numb. He couldn't even twitch a finger.

"Y-you…" Kakashi whispered.

"Don't worry." Motoko soothed, "It's just an anesthetic. You'll be out for the better part of twelve hours."

Kakashi slumped back onto his pillow, his body growing numb, and all the while only one thing going through his mind.

_Why? _

* * *

**So did you like it or what? One thing my "editor" told me was that Kakashi was taken too easily and there needs to be a ninja battle soon. I know, I already planned a ninja battle in Chapter 6 which is in development. Also Kakashi was taken easily because even though he suspected his friend as a traitor, he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But I guess if I was a better writer, I wouldn't need to explain that. Review, review, review...**_  
_


	6. Chapter 6

**This is like a filler chapter, no action but lots and lots of dialogue. And for some reason, the spell checker says I spelled dialogue wrong...It's spelled that way, really.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Haruno Residence – Early Morning

Sakura opened her eyes when she heard the knocking downstairs. She could hear her mother going down the stairs to answer the door. She yawned and turned over, looking at her clock on her desk across the room. It was 3AM in the morning. There could only be one reason that someone would be at their door at this time.

"Sakura! Someone from the Hokage is here to see you!" Sakura's mother whispered through her door.

"Alright, I'll go down and meet him. You can go back to sleep." Sakura replied, pulling on clothes.

She climbed down the stairs and to the front. Izumo and Kotetsu stood in the moonlight, both of them looking tired but alert.

"Ah, is there something wrong?" She asked.

Kotetsu nodded while Izumo yawned.

"The Hokage needs you at her residence as soon as possible. The rest of your team will meet you there." Kotetsu answered, rubbing his eyes.

Sakura nodded and the two vanished in smoke.

_Shadow clones? They must have already told Naruto and Sai then._

Sakura ran back upstairs and into her room.

"Mom, I'm leaving. Something's happened." She called out.

Sakura's mother peeked into her room. "You'll be back soon?" she asked.

Sakura shook her head, pulling on her vest.

"I don't know."

* * *

"What's happened?" Sakura asked, walking into the Hokage's office.

Tsunade looked up from her desk. Before her, Naruto, Yamato, Sai, Izumo, Kotetsu, and Shizune stood in a line. Naruto took a step towards Sakura, his arm lashing the air in anger.

"Someone took Kakashi!" he yelled.

Sakura froze. Kakashi was in the hospital, in the middle of Konoha. There was no way someone could take him without other people noticing.

"But…how?" she asked, her brain flooded with possibilities.

Tsunade shook her head. "We don't know. I have ANBU investigating right now but their initial findings turned up nothing. They're tearing apart the recovery room as we speak."

Shizune nodded in confirmation. "But they did find one thing."

"What?" Yamato asked.

"There was the scent of blood and ammonia." She responded.

"Blood?!" Sakura gasped.

Tsunade nodded, her eyes narrowed with worry. "It was only a slight scent though so we can assume that if they wounded Kakashi, it wasn't a very big wound. Most likely a scratch."

"And the ammonia?" Sai asked, speaking for the first time.

Shizune shrugged. "We have no idea. More ANBU are being dispatched to investigate throughout the entire village for any clues."

Yamato looked at Tsunade. "Are there any initial suspects?" he asked.

Tsunade shook her head in response.

"Could it be Akatsuki?" Naruto asked, putting his suspicion into words.

Tsunade looked Naruto in the eye. "That's what I thought at first but the only reason I could see them for taking him would be because he knows about Akatsuki. But now, almost every village knows about them so that reason is moot. Plus, there haven't been any sightings of Akatsuki since you fought them."

"Could it be an enemy village?" Izumo asked, speaking from experience.

"It's within the realm of possibility." Tsunade replied, "I know the Rain have Kakashi in their Bingo Book."

"What about Orochimaru?" Sakura spoke with heat in her voice.

Everyone fell silent. Orochimaru affected everyone, his attack three years ago almost destroyed the village and he still had Sasuke.

Tsunade gave a small nod. "That's also possible. But I don't see any reason why expect that he has the Sharingan. Orochimaru wouldn't want info from him because Kakashi only knows so much and he wouldn't want his body because he has Sasuke."

"Then why would he want Kakashi's Sharingan?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe he heard about Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan?" Yamato offered, "And wanted to see it in person?"

Tsunade kneaded her forehead with a hand as she thought it over.

"It's possible." She said finally.

"What about those two?" Sai asked.

"Who?" Shizune replied.

"The two that came in two days ago. Kakashi's friends." Sai clarified.

Sakura gasped. "You're right! They could have taken Kakashi!"

Naruto thought it over. "But the guy said he was a retired ninja. And that girl looked pretty weak."

Tsunade looked up at the three. "Kakashi's friends?"

"There were two people who came into Konoha two days ago." Sakura informed her, "We asked them their business and they said were here to see Kakashi."

"Where are they now?" Shizune asked.

"Um…We don't know." Sakura answered, her face filled with disappointment.

Tsunade nodded and looked at Izumo and Kotetsu. "Go to the gate and detain anyone who tries to leave. Make sure the wall sentries also keep an eye out."

The two nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Tsunade turned back to Team 7.

"We'll look for those two but we still have to consider the possibility that they're working for enemy ninja or even Orochimaru."

The team nodded their agreement. Tsunade sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Do you have any information on the two?"

"What they look like and their names. Both of them had Konoha headbands and cloaks." Naruto responded curtly.

"One was a male, around 6'0" with black hair, brown eyes, and a mask. The other was a female, around 5'0" with black hair and green eyes." Sakura added.

"Yasuko Hitomi and Shimizu Ko." Sai chipped in.

Shizune started for the door. "I'll go see if their names are in our records."

"Concentrate on Konoha's missing nin." Tsunade called to Shizune as she left, "If they had the headbands, it'd be more likely they went rogue sometime."

The door shut behind Shizune and Tsunade looked back the others.

"There's nothing else to do then. You all can return to your homes and await further orders. If something turns up, you four will be the first to know." She sighed tiredly.

Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato all nodded and walked out. Naruto growled in frustration and slammed his fist against the wall. Sakura leaned against the door and slid down until she was sitting. Yamato walked away, thoughts and suspicions stirring his mind.

"Don't worry."

Sakura and Naruto looked up at Sai who had spoken.

"What?" Naruto asked, his anger still apparent in his voice.

Sai looked at the two. "I said don't worry. We'll find him."

Sakura bit her lip and then smiled. Standing up, she nodded at Sai. "You're right. We'll find him."

Naruto grunted his agreement with Sakura and Sai smiled at the two.

_Thank you…Yasuko. _

* * *

**I'm two chapters ahead currently but because of the Christmas season and I have another story to work on for work, I probably won't release another chapter for a couple weeks. Or sooner, my schedule is so erratic. Review, review, review. **_  
_


	7. Chapter 7

**A new chapter for the story, I'm getting pretty far ahead but my editor is a slow reader.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Kakashi opened his eyes. Taking in his surroundings, he sat up slowly. He was in a large white room with no windows and minimal furniture. Pain shot through his middle as he sat up straight.

_'Damn.' _He cursed in his mind, the pain forcing him back down, _'I still haven't recovered.'_

He looked at the ceiling as he gathered his memory. He didn't remember anything past being knocked out.

_They carried me here? They couldn't have gone far from Konoha carrying me._

The door opened, interrupting his train of thought. The girl, Hitomi, walked in.

"Are you alright with getting up? Mokoto wants to see you." She said.

Kakashi shook his head and coughed, making himself seem sicker than he was. "I can't get up. I'm still injured. Why doesn't he just come in and see me?"

"I was going to do that first, but I wanted to see if you could stand." Mokoto said as he walked in.

Kakashi glared at the man and weighed his options. He could cooperate and learn more about whatever it was Mokoto was doing, or he could fight. The pain throbbing in his head and chest ruled out fighting.

Mokoto pulled a chair beside Kakashi's bed and sighed. "I'm sorry it had to come to that."

Kakashi lashed out at Mokoto but he caught Kakashi's arm. The shooting pain in his shoulder made him wince and regret that action. Mokoto let his arm go and pushed his chair back.

"You have no idea what you've done." Kakashi muttered, heat in his voice.

Mokoto shook his head. "On the contrary, I know what I've done. Kidnapping a ninja from a village is an A-rank offense and the consequences are either prison or death. But I had to do it, my mission takes precedence."

Kakashi shook his head as well. "Mission, mission, mission! You keep going on about your mission but you don't explain it."

"Fine, since we're here anyway and you're in no condition to escape, I'll answer any question you'd like to ask. Consider it a favor and reparations as a friend." Mokoto replied, leaning back in his chair.

Kakashi snorted at that. "Where are we?"

"My secret labs, they're located quite a ways from any ninja village."

Kakashi thought this over. "Then how did I get here? Even with you two, it'd take time to carry me, not to mention the patrols outside the village would catch up to you faster."

Mokoto frowned and sat up straight. "It wasn't easy. We ran into one of those patrols too."

"What?!"

"We didn't kill any of them. We just incapacitated them so we could get away." Hitomi spoke up for the first time.

* * *

_"We have to hurry. We only have eleven hours." Mokoto whispered as he and Hitomi sped away from the village. _

_Hitomi nodded. "It'll only take us ten hours, don't worry."_

_"I'm worried because my village isn't stupid. They'll have no doubt responded already and sent out ANBU patrols."_

_The two continued to leap from tree to tree until Hitomi signaled for them to stop. She pulled out a kunai and gestured for Mokoto to do the same._

_"Enemy?" he whispered._

_Hitomi nodded. "Four chakra signatures. They've got us on all cardinal points."_

_Mokoto shook his head. "I'm getting old I think. I should've sensed them."_

_"It's ANBU, they're not novices. And besides, you don't have it." She replied softly._

_Mokoto nodded and stood up. "You can come out now! We know you're there."_

_In a heartbeat, four ANBU ninjas surrounded the pair. _

_"You two are under arrest for the kidnapping of Hatake Kakashi. Witnesses have described you to us. Come quietly and we won't have to injure you two." One of them announced without preamble._

_Mokoto shook his head. "If you let us go, we won't have to injure you four."_

_The four ANBU stiffened and pulled out their swords. _

_"This is your only warning. Put down your weapons and come quietly."_

_Hitomi threw her kunai down and formed seals, her hands only a blur._

_'__**Fuuton Renkuudan!'**_

_Her cheeks expanded, holding in compressed air as it mixed with her chakra. She expelled the wind bullet and it hit the nearest ANBU, the chakra shredding his armor and flesh. He screamed as he dropped to the ground and fell quiet. The three others leapt forward, lashing out with their swords. Mokoto dropped from his branch and reached behind him in mid air. Two ANBU dropped off the tree and fell towards him. Flinging out his hands, he released a net with kunai weighing it. The two fell to the ground, wrapped in the net. _

_"Cut it! Now!" one of them yelled to the other._

_His partner cursed as he struggled to cut the net fibers. _

_Mokoto grinned as he stepped up to the two, struggling in the net._

_"It's no use. The net is made of metal wire; you won't be able to put enough pressure with your swords to cut the fibers. But that's not the only reason it's made of metal."_

_Mokoto gripped the net and released a steady flow of chakra. The two ninjas froze and arched their backs, their eyes wide open. Neither of them spoke and their hair stood on end as Mokoto continued to release chakra. Finally he stopped after ten seconds. The two ninja rested on the ground, unconscious. Above, Hitomi battled the last ANBU._

_The ANBU flung his sword at Hitomi and formed seals. She dodged the sword easily but couldn't form counterseals in time. _

_**'Doton: Doryuudan!'**_

_The ground below the tree churned into mud and a dragon's head of mud rose out of the ground. It opened its mouth and dangerously fast missiles of earth flew at Hitomi. She flipped to another tree and another until the jutsu sank back into the ground. _

_**'Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!'**_

_The ANBU startled, the Grand Fireball was made famous by the Uchiha clan. The fireball sped towards the ninja and he turned to flee. The tree he was standing on exploded in a ball of smoke, fire, and tree parts. Hitomi sighed sadly and looked at the ground. Covered in branches and impaled through the leg with a large splinter, lay the ANBU ninja. She jumped down and walked to Mokoto._

_"We should go. Nearby patrols will no doubt have seen my Goukakyuu." She said._

_Mokoto nodded and turned away from the two ANBU ninjas he had knocked out. She looked at him and the net, putting the pieces together. _

_"Your electric net combo?" she asked._

_"Yes." Mokoto replied, "Simple enough anyway to beat them. Just wrap them up in metal and let out a little lightning element chakra. They'll wake up with nasty headaches."_

_Hitomi nodded and leaped up a tree. Mokoto followed, taking one last look at the battle field. _

_'This is not how I planned it at all…' _

* * *

  
"How did I get here then if you two didn't carry me?"

Mokoto nodded. "Well that's the interesting part you see. It was quite brilliant anyway. The credit goes to Hitomi for thinking it up in the first place."

Hitomi smiled slightly at the compliment. "It was quite simple, I just needed some inspiration."

"What?" Kakashi asked.

"Well," Mokoto began, "You see…"

* * *

**I don't know how well I did with the battle scene. Using exposition to describe a battle seems so bland to me but my editor told me it was good. Oh well, I'm too far ahead to fix it now. Hopefully I'll be able to improve them though, could use a few original techniques instead of ones used in the Naruto kingdom.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So based on the advice my "editor" has given me, I'm going through the future chapters I've written already and taking out "excessive detail that is almost redundant." Also the plot...I've written a bigger summary in my profile if you want a larger picture of the plot since the weak summary can only be like 300 words. The future chapters will take longer since I'm going to have to review each one and re-write them if necessary to shorten the chapters and even combine chapters after editing them. **

* * *

Chapter 7

Suspect's Apartment – Late Afternoon

Sakura, Naruto, and Sai stood in a small apartment, holding their noses. The room reeked of ammonia but was entirely spotless. Tsunade and several ANBU looked for any evidence that they could use to track the two, Ko and Hitomi.

"There's nothing at all? Not even a single hair?" Sakura asked Tsunade.

"Not a single one." Tsunade replied behind a face mask, keeping the smell from her nose, "They're smart too. The ammonia ruins any fluids we could use as evidence and we can't use nin-dogs because the ammonia covers any scent."

Naruto huffed in disappointment and kicked a bed. "Then how are we going to find Kakashi? We have to track them somehow! They could be out of the country by now!"

Tsunade shook her head. "It'll take longer than a day to get out of Fire country. And I also sent messengers to the Kazekage just in case they spot him in Wind. Meanwhile, we've stepped up patrols outside the village."

"Tsunade!"

Shizune stepped into the apartment room, brushing past several ANBU. She handed Tsunade a paper document.

"A report from the hospital: Four of our ninjas were found five miles away from the village. Two are injured with large wounds and the other two were found unconscious."

"Do you think it was them?" Sakura asked.

"There's no other explanation." Shizune replied.

Naruto grinned. "Alright! Let's go then!"

"And do what Naruto? Look at a battlefield?" Sakura sighed, exasperated.

Naruto frowned, put off by Sakura.

Sai nodded. "We can send out nin-dogs to look at the area. No doubt the pair are in a hurry and didn't cover the area with ammonia. We can get the scent we need to track them."

"Fine." Tsunade replied after a second of consideration, "I'll see if I can send out Team 9 with you three and Yamato. Meanwhile, you three go to the battle site and see if you can find out where they're headed."

"Team 9?" Naruto asked.

"You'll need Kiba and his dog. They're the best trackers in the village." She explained, "Hinata and Shino also make for good scouts."

The three nodded their agreement and walked out the door. Tsunade pulled the report from Shizune's hand and looked it over.

"Hokage!"

An ANBU stepped out of the bathroom and motioned her over. Tsunade handed the report back to Shizune.

"You've found something?" She asked.

The ninja nodded. "Take a look."

Tsunade peered in with Shizune. Inside the bathroom's bathtub, marks made with something that looked suspiciously like blood were daubed all over.

"Is that…blood?" Shizune asked, worry on her face.

"It is; dried." The ANBU clarified, "The markings make a seal."

"Any idea of what kind?"

"It's a summoning seal." Tsunade answered.

The ANBU nodded his agreement. "That's what it looks like. We can bring in some seal specialists to confirm."

Tsunade shook her head. "No need, I'm familiar with this kind of summoning seal. It's used to summon things from other places, like the summoning scrolls used to summon weapons that would weigh a ninja down."

"They summoned something here?" Shizune asked.

"No," Tsunade sighed, "I think we just found out how they got Kakashi out of here."

* * *

Unknown Location

"And that's how we got you here." Mokoto finished.

Kakashi contemplated the information. It was simple but brilliant.

"Fine. But why am I here in the first place? Why me?"

Mokoto stared Kakashi in the eye. "You honestly haven't figured it out? What sets you apart from every other ninja in Konoha? Any other ninja in the world?"

Kakashi placed his arm over his left eye.

"Yes Kakashi. The Sharingan, the most famous of all doujutsu. Also almost extinct. If what I know is correct, only three people in the world have the Sharingan. The other two's locations are unknown so it would take much more effort to capture them than you."

Kakashi shook his head. "You say this is a mission to save Konoha but all you're doing is searching for power. You're just another Orochimaru."

Mokoto frowned. "Orochimaru? He wants the Sharingan too?"

"You're not as well informed as I thought." Kakashi smiled grimly, "He kidnapped Uchiha Sasuke, my former student."

Mokoto stared at Kakashi for a moment, digesting this information. "You actually passed students?"

Hitomi cleared her throat. "I think Kakashi would like clarification on why you need him."

"Right, sorry. That student bit was a small surprise." Mokoto shook his head, "Anyway, I don't want the Sharingan personally. I just need Sharingan users, specifically their blood."

"Blood?"

"Yes, blood. Sharingan 101, Kakashi: The Sharingan is a bloodline, which means it can only be inherited by those who are conceived by those of the Uchiha clan…with you as the obvious exception."

"What does that have to do with blood? I wasn't born from the Uchiha clan." Kakashi asked.

"Well, I'll explain that but it's going to take a while. I'll tell you everything tomorrow, right now it's late. Even ninjas need to sleep." Mokoto yawned, "Oh and feeling hungry? You haven't eaten for like fourteen hours, most of that spent sleeping. Hitomi could bring you a snack."

Now that it was brought to his attention, Kakashi could feel his hunger. Mokoto smiled and stood up.

"Eh, Hitomi, could you fix something up?"

She nodded and walked out of the room. Kakashi grabbed Mokoto's arm before he could walk out.

"You're going to kill me when you're done with me, aren't you?"

Shock displayed itself across Mokoto's face. "No, why on earth would you think that? When I'm done with you, I'll have completed my objective, present it to the village, and be welcomed back as a hero."

Kakashi snorted as he let his arm drop. "They'll look for me. They'll find you and kill you for treason, not to mention whatever other crimes you've committed in this."

Mokoto gave Kakashi a hard stare. "They won't find me and kill me. And once I finish and give what I complete to Konoha, even you'll forgive me for what I've done."

Kakashi shook his head and Mokoto shut the door behind him, leaving Kakashi to wonder how Konoha was faring.

* * *

**If you're reading this, please review. The only way I'm going to get better at this is if I get more feedback on what needs to be changed for the audience. I'm not demanding though, since I know some people just like to read and review in their minds. If you've got a minute to spare, type a review up so I know what needs to be changed/fixed. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry but I've been busy the past week so I haven't had time to update or edit. The story might be delayed even further since I have to catch up on school work, take care of other stuff, and play Rock Band...So expect more delays, but I'm still writing the story, pretty far ahead.** **It's just that I don't have much time to edit and keep this story straight. Also new manga info has to be reviewed and see if it'll change the story or fits into the story in any way. I like keeping my story as close to the manga/anime as possible. **

* * *

Chapter 8

Battle Site – Morning

"Anything Kiba?" Naruto asked.

"For the fifteenth time, I'll tell you when we find something!" Kiba snapped.

Akamaru growled his agreement and continued to sniff at the trees. Hinata and Shino stood with Sakura, Sai, and Yamato, waiting for Kiba and Akamaru to finish their preliminary search. Naruto huffed impatiently, walking beside Kiba.

"Shouldn't we stop Naruto? He could mess up any tracks." Sai asked the group.

Sakura snorted. "Short of breaking his legs, we won't be able to stop him. Geez, that idiot."

"I've already looked. Any tracks made would be on the trees. In fact, all tracks have been made on the tree branches." Shino allayed Sai's concern.

"Have you begun following those tracks?" Yamato asked Shino.

Shino nodded. "I already finished."

"Finished?" Sakura asked.

"I believe time is of the essence. I sent my bugs forward and the tracks ended in the middle of the forest almost forty miles from here." Shine clarified, "Before that, they split into multiple sets of tracks; probably Shadow Clones. That's why Kiba is sniffing around. Since the tracks are unreliable, we're forced to use scent."

Yamato nodded. Shino had been elevated as co-commander for this operation; the Hokage's decision was justified. The group waited impatiently as Kiba and Akamaru continued to search for a scent. After half an hour, a messenger bird landed on Yamato's shoulder and he called Kiba and Akamaru back.

_To Captain Yamato:_

_The Kazekage's response has already been received; their fastest bird, nothing less from the Sand. The two were sited in the village a couple years ago but the only reason they recall them is because after they were reported leaving, several ninja and half a dozen civilians went missing as well. _

_The Sand has set those two as A-Rank criminals but hasn't turned up anything after a thorough investigation back then. They've started looking deeper through their investigation files at our request but I'd like one of us there personally. If you haven't found any leads, make best speed to the Sand. If you have, send this bird back with specifications and continue tracking. _

_Hokage Tsunade_

Yamato sighed and turned to the team.

"We'll be moving out to Sand Village. It seems our two were spotted in the Sand several years ago." He informed them.

Kiba frowned.

"If they were there years ago, any evidence the Sand haven't marked will be long gone."

Yamato nodded.

"Have you had any luck on their scents?"

"No." Kiba shook his head, "Akamaru says the scent split and they all fit into the trails that lead into dead ends. None of them make an original path."

"Then we have no choice but to go to the Sand. Perhaps something there will help us find these two." Shino replied.

"Right then," Yamato pockets the message, "Let's move out."

Eight blurs rustled the leaves as they raced towards Wind Country. All of them wondering if Kakashi was still alive.

* * *

Unknown Location – Afternoon

"You need my blood?" Kakashi asked, staring at the syringe in Mokoto's hand.

Mokoto nodded, sitting down next to Kakashi's bed.

"Now are you going to be a good little boy and stay still or are we going to have to hold you down?" Mokoto smiled at his attempt at humor.

Kakashi's glare wiped away Mokoto's smile and replaced it with a frown.

"Okay then. Care to cooperate or do Hitomi and I need to knock you out again? And I don't think you're up for a fight, the check over we did this morning says you won't getting out of bed for at least four days."

Kakashi cursed his own weakness in regret. If he was recovered, he'd have escaped long ago. He nodded reluctantly. Mokoto swabbed alcohol and jabbed the needle into Kakashi's arm, drawing the blood. Finishing, Mokoto placed the syringe in a small ice box, securely held in place by Velcro straps.

"That should be enough for us to run some tests." Mokoto announced, handing the box to Hitomi, "Take it to the lab and tell Ryo to search for the Sharingan gene markers."

Hitomi bowed and swiftly walked out, giving a small smile to Kakashi beforehand. Mokoto sighed and turned back to Kakashi, studying his friend.

"Where were we last night?" He asked.

"You were telling me why you needed blood." Kakashi replied tiredly.

"Right!" Mokoto sat up straight, "So, you know all about bloodlines and stuff. How you need to have the genes of the clan to use the bloodline."

Kakashi shook his head in frustration.

"Just get to the point."

Mokoto frowned but continued anyway.

"Well, as you know, it's all in the DNA of a human. Uchiha DNA is not much different from us non-Uchiha. It's just the specific Sharingan proteins in the DNA that allow an Uchiha to use the Sharingan." Mokoto explained, "What I need your blood for, Uchiha blood, is material that will allow me to identify the specific proteins of the Sharingan and isolate them for the next stage of my mission."

Kakashi stared at his friend in disbelief. "I don't have Uchiha blood, you know that!"

Mokoto nodded his head in agreement. "True, you weren't born of the Uchiha clan but then how could you use your Sharingan?"

Kakashi stayed silent, not responding.

"I read about what happened at the bridge, Kakashi." Mokoto spoke softly, "The place where Obito died. He gave you his Sharingan and Rin was the one who transplanted it right?"

Kakashi continued to stay silent, hanging his head at the memories being brought up.

"But she didn't transplant only the eye did she? How else could you use the Sharingan? She gave you a blood infusion didn't she?" Mokoto whispered, staring at his friend's eye.

Kakashi lashed out only to have Mokoto catch his arm again. Kakashi recoiled, pain shooting in his shoulder. Mokoto shook his head at his friend's action.

"You really don't learn do you?"

"How do you know what Rin did?" Kakashi asked, anger in his voice. He wasn't angry directly at Mokoto but at himself, for that day; the day he failed to protect a friend.

"It's a theory I thought up of when I started this mission." Mokoto replied, shrugging, "It's the only logical expl of when I started this mission." The day he failed to protect a friend.

n." need from thatKakashi, studyanation for how you've been able to continue using the Sharingan. You two also had the same blood type, which explains why your body didn't reject the blood. But how you gained the genes, the Sharingan genes, is something that still eludes me. I'd have to do countless experiments on you to find the logical explanation but I won't."

"Why not? This is all for your mission isn't it? I'm just your prisoner." Kakashi replied spitefully.

Mokoto shook his head at Kakashi's anger.

"It's interesting and could contribute to my second stage but it'll take up more time. And to be honest, I'm running short on time and I can hardly keep you here forever can I?"

Kakashi's mind jumped at Mokoto's words.

"What do you mean running short on time? And what's your second stage?"

"My supply of blood is running short. And I've no doubt caught the attention of more than Konoha, we're allies with more villages these days aren't we?"

"Supply?"

"My work originally used Uchiha Fugaku's blood."

"He gave it to you willingly?" Kakashi asked, bewildered.

"No." Mokoto replied, shaking his head, "I had to send some of my men to secure his blood after the Uchiha Massacre."

"Gravedigger!" Kakashi spat.

Mokoto's face began to show anger.

"I did what I had to for my mission."

Kakashi stayed silent, breathing hard. Finally he looked up at Mokoto again.

"And what's your second stage?"

Mokoto shrugged, quickly forgetting his anger.

"After isolating the proteins of the Sharingan, I use them to make a blood plasma mixed with a chemical that will target the specific proteins in DNA that the Sharingan proteins will replace."

"Wait…replace?" Kakashi's eyes widened in realization, "You mean - !"

Mokoto smiled at Kakashi's revelation.

"It's all been painfully obvious, Kakashi." Mokoto explained, triumphant, "Once the blood fuses, the person will be able to use the Sharingan. My mission, this endeavor, is to make this blood so that all of Konoha will be able to use the Sharingan. With it, we'll be able to defend against any nation and conquer any nation!"

Mokoto stood, carried away by the heat of the moment.

"Konoha will be the strongest of all nations for all time. The Uchiha legacy will live on and it will all be thanks to me."

Kakashi stared at his friend with wide eyes. To him, if all of it were possible, it would only cause more war.

"And thanks to you as well." Mokoto grinned, oblivious to the consequences, "Your blood will make all of this possible."

The only thought that passed through Kakashi's mind at that moment was wondering when his old friend had lost his mind and given in to the darkness.

* * *

**I considered changing the ending but I guess Mokoto can give into his mad-scientist evil-ness just once...forgive him, please...I know one thing is that this story is moving along slowly, it's gonna be a very long story; like 30 chapters long. My best estimate, although I'd go for 25-35 chapter range to be safe. Anyway, review if you want and can.**


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